The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-01-20
TIE DEATH PENALTY.

At the meeting of the Society of Med
ical Jurisprudence, at New York on Fri.
day last, the question, "How Shall the
Death Penalty be Inhicted!" was dis
cussed. The following proceedings, %
copied from the New York Sun, may be
of interest to those who believe In the
abolIshment of the death penalty, aS
showing how men of science look at the
subject. VIvisection, for instance, ss ad-
Vocated by Mir. Russell, would doubtless
reduce the number OF murders as well as
muTderers in our state. If adopted a. the
penalty prescribed by Law tor killing, IN
stead OF putting them in the penitentiArY
TO die of old age:
DIR. n. 4. Brill, who had been on
commits ee that went To Albany 10 discuss
the snbj CT for the benefit of IegIslztOrss
opened the talk.
He objected 90 hanging, on the ground
that il mel, her killed Instantly nordestToyeo
Consciousness Instantly. Tue methods of
killing by elecIrIcIIy, by poisoning, and
by the garroLe be objec,ed 70 ss not more
prompt nor less painful aud oaTbaTious.
The guillotIne, he said, was the beef meaus.
by Instan ly ssveTing the blood conduiIs,
muscles, and nerves OF the Dsck tue victim
was Instantly killed, instantly losing SEN
8 alton or consciousness. ShuntlDg thToug
the head or brain, where the gun was dis
charged from q nxed rest alter being aimed
by an anatomical expert, the doctor said,
was better Than hanging, though not 50
good as choppibg the head of.
Mr.. D. 8 Riddle. who Is not member
of Lne society, ON invitation expressed his
opinion. He said:
do not favor the sentiment that would
take away any of the horrors that sur
round the execution OF the criminal The
whole thing Is brutal, bus the CRIME for
which q man fOrfelts his lite is brutal.
When his lite IS taken away surround IL
with ali the horrors pOssIble. Take him
away TO some dark place where none Gao
see or know what il done. Hang him
again, and again, and again, and then bury
him where none may learn of his resting
place. The good old common law method
OF hanging Is just right except for the
publicity now allowed.
DR.. Peters favored the garrote. He OBJ
jacted TO the use Of electricity, prussic
acid, or any medical agent. e. degrading
to the profession Of medicine. Shootin g
was . military punishment, and not de-
grading enough.
Lawyer E. Fl. Benn thought there was
So little difference between the pain OF
hanging and the pain Of cutting OF the
mead, or any other method OF taking life
judiclally, that the difference was scarcely
worth the attention of society. However,
II It were desirable to inflict 6 painless
death, the better way would be to chloro-
form the criminal before hanging him.
DIR. Wood said that hanging was not &c
brutal as most people supposed 1t WAS, fol
the shock of the fall destroyed conscious
ness, whether the neck was broken or not
He had seen men shot to death for deser-
| ton during the war. some of whom were
not instantly killed. When these were
asked If they suffered pain from theii
wounds they invariably said that they die
not. The pain of any form of execution
of the death sentence, he said, was no
| great, because of the destruction of con.
sciousD ees by the shock of the method o.
killing.
Lawyer w. II. Russell proposed to e
farther than MIR. Riddle. Hanging wa
all right as compared with the other meth
DDS so far proposed. For the crime o
murder the life of the criminal should b.
forfeited to society, but q better way o
taking the life of the criminal would be Il
| turn him over to q commission of medica
experts, who should take his life IN such
way as to promote scientific knowledge
| Vivisection of human subjects-thAt ls
cutting them up alive-would no doub
have lettering influence on those who
contemplated committing crimes fo
/ which viVisection, followed by death, wa
the lawful penalty.
DR.. McL4ure favored drowning thu
CRIMINAL in hath of carhonic oxide gas,
a. painless and expeditions, and not re-
Voting.